Thabo and the donkeys



Most of my paintings start with an idea ,and not with a photo ,and so I have to make my photos fit my idea.

Thabo and the donkeys is a painting based on 2 different photos. I had taken the first photo ,the one of the donkeys and cart , in a remote village on the edge of the Okavango Delta.The second Photo was of the boy (Thabo) and it was taken in Serowe a village in Southern Botswana.
When it comes to using different photos to create a new composition the first thing I look for is the shadows,are they falling in the same direction.You cannot create a realistic painting if some shadows are pointing west while others east,it would mean that there would have to be  two suns,or light sources.Your Shadows also should be the same length ,cannot have some short (Midday) while others long (Evening or morning).
Once I have found a couple of photos ,that even though  were taken at differnt places or times but have the same shadow pattern I move to the next step.The next step is to change the size of the photos so that they are compatible,since I have thousands of different photos very few are the same size.For example .Thabo who is leading the donkeys and cart was before very small in the photo,so I had to enlarge him on my computer until he was the right size to fit with the donkeys ,without looking to big or to small.
Once I have my printouts ,I place them on a large piece of white paper and move them around until I am happy with the composition,I then tape them into place.Now that I have my composition laid out before me, all that is left is to draw it out onto my canvas and to paint it. ; )

SOLD

Comments

Anonymous said…
Roger, thank you for your kind comments on my blog... it is an honour comign from such an accomplished artist as yourself. Your work has a passion for your environment with the artist's twist added... jsut beautiful!
Roger Brown Art said…
Thanks Rahina for visiting , I really enjoyed visiting your blog and will be waiting for new updates.
this is STUNNING Roger :) the perspective on the donkey cart is so inspiring, the little lads stance is perfect and child-like, the colour palette you've used works wonders in the heat of the day and the scenery, very well done! Jules
A very nice painting, I love your light, keep it going, ah.. thanks for commenting in my blog
Hi Roger, thanks for visiting my blog. I love your picture. The little boy has so much personality, he really gives your picture a life of its own.
Stephanie Berry said…
Very nice job. Love the "story" this painting seems to tell.
James said…
Roger this is a lovely painting as is the one with the zebras drinking which also caught my eye. Thanks for the comments on my blog I'm from West Clare in Ireland where another South African works - Avril Brand is her name :)
Roger Brown Art said…
Thanks James for visiting my blog,yes you will find quite a few South Africans sprinkled around the globe ,is she an artist?
Arti said…
Great painting, Roger..it doesn't look like two subjects clubbed together- it looks like the boy belongs to the scene!Nice composition, and very good rendering.
Stephen Parker said…
Beautiful job on this, Roger. Love the strong value range and sense of light.
Maria Villioti said…
It' wonderful. I like your themes. I'm a painter from Greece and a new friend on your block.If you want take a look on my one.

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